Central Jersey Choral Society

About CJCS

The Central Jersey Choral Society is Mercer County's second oldest arts 
organization.  It was formed in 1949 at the request of the Trenton Junior
​Chamber of Commerce as the Trenton Community Chorus and later
became the Mercer County Chorus and the Greater Trenton Choral
​Society.  In 2009, we changed our name to the Central Jersey Choral
​Society to better reflect the more regional nature of our members and
​audience.

​Throughout its more than 60 year history, the organization has provided professional caliber classical music to the local community and enriched the lives of choral society members and audiences through the performing of a varied selection of high quality music.  The CJCS is comprised of both professsionally educated and trained vocalists, as well as singers with a myriad of amateur vocal experiences.  Both find a common voice with the CJCS, and that voice is the music we share with our audiences.


Recent programs presented by CJCS have included Mozart’s Requiem and Vesperae solennes de Confessore, Brahms’ Liebesleider Walzes; Haydn’s oratorio The Creation; Mendelssohn’s oratorios Elijah and St. Paul; Pergolesi/Durante’s Magnificat, Schubert’s Mass in G; Mozart’s Coronation Mass; Te Deums by Haydn and Bruckner; Haydn’s Missa Sancti Nicolai; Vaughan Williams’ Dona Nobis Pacem, Puccini’s Messa di Gloria; Beethoven’s Mass in C Major; Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms; and Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem.



Artistic Director
Christopher Loeffler













Christopher Loeffler, Artistic Director, has been the artistic director of the Central Jersey Choral Society since 2008. He is responsible for musical programming, conducting performances, and developing and preparing vocal talent from within the community. Works performed by CJCS during his tenure include a varied collection from the standard choral repertoire and most recently  performances of Dvořák’s Requiem and Psalms by Bach & Mendelssohn.  Notable works he has directed include Brahms’s Ein deutsches Requiem, Handel’s Messiah, Bruckner Te Deum, Haydn’s Creation, Vaughan Williams’s Dona Nobis Pacem, Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms, Mozart’s Requiem, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, as well as many other. In addition to his work with the CJCS, Maestro Loeffler has been teaching music and directing the choirs at Toms River High School North since 2000 and currently serves the Toms River Regional School District as the 6-12 Performing Arts Facilitator. He is the director of the Pinecone Singers at the Pines at Whiting senior living community, where he joyously works with wonderful artists discovering or rediscovering their voices. Chris lives and works under the steadfast belief that every person can learn how to sing, and that music has a magical ability to bring people together.

As a vocalist, Mr. Loeffler has performed with the Westminster Symphonic Choir under the batons of Joseph Flummerfelt, Zdenek Macal, Kurt Masur and Wolfgang Sawallisch. Locally, he has served the community as a member of the Boheme Opera New Jersey Chorus, under the direction of Joseph Pucciatti. Mr. Loeffler has been a private student of Charles Walker and George Gray. Mr. Loeffler holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education from Westminster Choir College, where he studied choral conducting under James Jordan and Andrew Megill, and music education under Frank Abrahams. He received his Master of Music Education degree with distinction from Westminster Choir College in 2018.

Board of Directors

Executive Board
Leanne Sine, President
Dana Maiuro, Vice President
Russell Collins, Secretary
Joshua Moffett, Treasurer

Members-At-Large
Cristina Anguiano-Carrasco
​Susan Ford
Deirdre Hindley
Kristine Schmidt
Sherry Spiezle
Caroline Steward

Ellen Weiner

Helen Griswold

Sarah Steward